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Clermont-Ferrand winner THE DEVIL AND THE BICYCLE to screen at eighth El Gouna Film Festival
22 September 2025
After winning the National Student Prize at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and receiving the CONCORTO Film Festival Young Jury Award 2025, Sharon Hakim’s powerful dramatic comedy short film THE DEVIL AND THE BICYCLE is set to hold its Arab World premiere at the 8th El Gouna Film Festival, taking place from October 16th to 24th.
Set against the backdrop of Lebanon, THE DEVIL AND THE BICYCLE follows 13-year-old Yasma, a Lebanese girl from an interfaith marriage, preparing for the ritual of her First Communion. However, as her sensuality awakens, an entirely different kind of ritual begins—one that transcends the bounds of religion and culture.
The film is an adaptation of a short story written by Tamara Saade in 2020. It fictionally recounts an intimate childhood experience related to the discovery of her body as a young girl in a Christian village in Lebanon. This story explores a dual initiation: into the rites of the Maronite Catholic religion and into sensual pleasure.
Tamara and Sharon, longtime collaborators since meeting on Sharon’s first film, THE GREAT NIGHT in 2019, worked closely to translate the short story into a cinematic narrative. Together, they selected moments from the original text and crafted new scenes tailored to the language of film. Tamara also voices the adult Yasma in the film’s voiceover, offering a reflective and omniscient perspective that deepens the emotional experience of the story.
The film has already captivated audiences during its extensive run at prestigious international film festivals, including BFI London, Les Nuits Med (Special Mention), Côté Court Pantin, CONCORTO Young Jury Award 2025), the Namur Francophone Festival, and Cinemed.
Now, as it arrives in El Gouna, THE DEVIL AND THE BICYCLE continues its journey with an upcoming screening at the International Short Film Festival of Cyprus, inviting viewers to connect with its powerful story.
The film is directed by Sharon Hakim, who co-wrote it with Tamara Saade, with Astrig Chandèze-Avakian as the producer in co-production with Christelle Younes. The cast includes Mélissa Succar, Christine Choueiri, Roger Azar, Maria Hektor, and Tatiana Succar.
With MAD World handling international sales and MAD Distribution in charge of distribution across the Arab World, THE DEVIL AND THE BICYCLE features cinematography by Laetitia de Montalember, editing by Clémence Samson, sound design by Rawad Hobeika, Benoît Gargonne, and Lionel Guenoun and music by Marc Codsi and Aghiad Ghanem.
Tinted with social and political allusions to Lebanon in the 2000s, the film uses this backdrop not as its focus, but as a subtle layer beneath the inner awakening of a young girl exploring her identity. Through the delicate subject of sexual self-discovery, it favors suggestion over visibility—evoking emotion without explicitness. This choice reflects Sharon’s intent to avoid sexualizing adolescent bodies and to center the story on what Yasma feels rather than what is shown.
As Yasma’s awareness deepens, the film draws a quiet parallel between physical and religious ecstasy. It becomes a celebration of love, pleasure, and the sacredness of the body—challenging the shame often attached to it.
In its final scene, the film offers Yasma a space of welcome and resilience. Her desire prevails over inhibition, echoing the enduring vitality of the Lebanese people. She will grow, guided by her love for life and the freedom she carries within herself.
Sharon Hakim is a writer and director who studied in Paris and New York. Her first short film, THE GREAT NIGHT, was selected at Clermont-Ferrand and Cinemed and won multiple awards. In 2024, she directed both NOSTALGIA FOR THE DODOS, pre-acquired by Canal+, and THE DEVIL AND THE BICYCLE. She is currently developing her debut feature, Mermaid Avenue, produced by Les Films du Tambour.
Set against the backdrop of Lebanon, THE DEVIL AND THE BICYCLE follows 13-year-old Yasma, a Lebanese girl from an interfaith marriage, preparing for the ritual of her First Communion. However, as her sensuality awakens, an entirely different kind of ritual begins—one that transcends the bounds of religion and culture.
The film is an adaptation of a short story written by Tamara Saade in 2020. It fictionally recounts an intimate childhood experience related to the discovery of her body as a young girl in a Christian village in Lebanon. This story explores a dual initiation: into the rites of the Maronite Catholic religion and into sensual pleasure.
Tamara and Sharon, longtime collaborators since meeting on Sharon’s first film, THE GREAT NIGHT in 2019, worked closely to translate the short story into a cinematic narrative. Together, they selected moments from the original text and crafted new scenes tailored to the language of film. Tamara also voices the adult Yasma in the film’s voiceover, offering a reflective and omniscient perspective that deepens the emotional experience of the story.
The film has already captivated audiences during its extensive run at prestigious international film festivals, including BFI London, Les Nuits Med (Special Mention), Côté Court Pantin, CONCORTO Young Jury Award 2025), the Namur Francophone Festival, and Cinemed.
Now, as it arrives in El Gouna, THE DEVIL AND THE BICYCLE continues its journey with an upcoming screening at the International Short Film Festival of Cyprus, inviting viewers to connect with its powerful story.
The film is directed by Sharon Hakim, who co-wrote it with Tamara Saade, with Astrig Chandèze-Avakian as the producer in co-production with Christelle Younes. The cast includes Mélissa Succar, Christine Choueiri, Roger Azar, Maria Hektor, and Tatiana Succar.
With MAD World handling international sales and MAD Distribution in charge of distribution across the Arab World, THE DEVIL AND THE BICYCLE features cinematography by Laetitia de Montalember, editing by Clémence Samson, sound design by Rawad Hobeika, Benoît Gargonne, and Lionel Guenoun and music by Marc Codsi and Aghiad Ghanem.
Tinted with social and political allusions to Lebanon in the 2000s, the film uses this backdrop not as its focus, but as a subtle layer beneath the inner awakening of a young girl exploring her identity. Through the delicate subject of sexual self-discovery, it favors suggestion over visibility—evoking emotion without explicitness. This choice reflects Sharon’s intent to avoid sexualizing adolescent bodies and to center the story on what Yasma feels rather than what is shown.
As Yasma’s awareness deepens, the film draws a quiet parallel between physical and religious ecstasy. It becomes a celebration of love, pleasure, and the sacredness of the body—challenging the shame often attached to it.
In its final scene, the film offers Yasma a space of welcome and resilience. Her desire prevails over inhibition, echoing the enduring vitality of the Lebanese people. She will grow, guided by her love for life and the freedom she carries within herself.
Sharon Hakim is a writer and director who studied in Paris and New York. Her first short film, THE GREAT NIGHT, was selected at Clermont-Ferrand and Cinemed and won multiple awards. In 2024, she directed both NOSTALGIA FOR THE DODOS, pre-acquired by Canal+, and THE DEVIL AND THE BICYCLE. She is currently developing her debut feature, Mermaid Avenue, produced by Les Films du Tambour.
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